Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1887-04-29
INDIAN BoYcoTTiNG.
The System of Outcasting in Vogue Among
the Brahmins of India.

I term originated, has been practiscd for
/ ages in India. There is this great diff
ference between Irish and IIindoo boy
eating; the former is based mainly on
political, semi-political or fiscal rea-
sons; whereas the latter is practiced on
purely social or religious grounds.
Then the Irish is scvcrer than the Hin
doc method in this sense, that no trades
man will sell any thing to the boycotted
man, who is more or less like prisoner
in his own house, whereas boycotted
Hindoo can buy any thing anywhere or
go to any place he likes, only people
will not 90 to his house or associate
with him or his family in any way. On
the other hand. the Hindoo is severer
than the Irish boycotting in that
the latter may be only tempo
i'ary, and raised NJ the caprice OF
the boycotters; VIII rcas the former is
often permanent, or can be done away
with only by going through certain eX-
piatory rites or costly ceremonies,
which come hard even on the richer
classes. A man may be boycotted in
Ireland for no fault of his own; but in
India boycottiag follows upon breach
of observance of some time-honored
custom, or by any public of1ense against
traditional notions of propriety. Indian
boycotting is allied to outcasting, but
is quite distinct from it and not half so
severe A man can lose his caste only
by breaking one of its well-dclined
rules, which are quite different from
mere customs or observanccs. An
outcasted man is necessarily boycotted:
but boycotted man keeps his caste all
right as long as he does not act against
its rules. Again, II man may be out
casted, but not his family, for that
reason; yet his relations will be boy
cotted if they associate with him.
Let me now cite some examples.
Some years ago learned pundit gave
his daughter in marriage when she
was few years older than the pre-
scribed manageable age among the
IIindoOs; and the olfense was rendered
doubly heinous by the pcrpctrator be-
ing "A Brahmn of high order. He was
strictly boycottcd accordingly; and, |
| believe, Notwithstanding his great rep
| utation as scholar and benevolent
person, and in spite of his cndeavors to
propitiate the Brahmins in many ways,
he is still avoided by orthodox Hindoos
A whole family has been boycotted for
receiving and associating with one of
its members who returned from En-
! gland and had lost his caste through
eating with Englshmcn. One gentle
man has been boycottcd forever for
getting his widowed daughter mar
ried. If anybody's son or daugh-
ter-in-law associates with non-Hin-
docs publicly, the offending individual
is outcasted and the whole family is
, boycotted. If son does not mourn for
! his deceased father in the prescribed
manner, he is boycotted. In some parts
of India men are boycotted for wearing
trousers of European fashion-or, in
deed, any dress that was not worn by
their ancestors of thousand years ago
A well-known historical example OF
Hindoo boycotting is that Of the Jey
pore royal family, which was boycottet
for hundreds of years by the other
Rajpoot families for being the first Hin
doc family of princely rank who Offered
a daughter in marriage to II Mogu
Emperor In Rajputana whole tribes
are often boycottcd if some body doe,
not properly observe the traditional
customs, or forms connection with +;
lower caste or with non-Hindoos.
But nowadays boycotting can b,
raised in India by iudicious use of the
almighty gold. may mention well
known case. A distinguished Hindo,
gentleman and merchant of larg,
IndS,n town was boycotted for reform
ing propensitics. His old orthodox
mother, who lived in the country, OF
the occasion of a religious festival di
rected the servants, as usual, to distrb-
ute offerings of rice, fruits and sweet
meats among the Brahmins of the neigh
borhood. To man they refused t.
accept the same, on the ground tina
her son was deserving his caste. Tn,
old lady was deeply chagrined, and be
gan to be mortally afraid of the desti
nation of her soul after death. On
hearing This. her son went down to hi
country house, and ordered the serv
ants to take the offerings again TO tn,
Brahmins, this time placing five rupee
on each of the plates. The expedien
answered wonderfully well. The yer,
Brahmins who few hours before ha,
turned, away the servants ignominious
ly, now came running 10 the merchant
house and literally scrambled for th
presents. The story seems To justify
the saying of another rich Hindoo, tina
caste was in his iron chest"
Boycotting and outcasting are mad
doubly oppressive 10 Ilindoo women
and for the most triiling reasons.
married woman not putting the sin
door ca red powder) on the parting o
her hair is boycotted In the country
if mother-in-law eats or lives in tn